Side unloading device for logs



7, 1968 J. E. BLONSKY 3,416,678

SIDE UNLOADING DEVICE FOR LOGS Filed Jan. 20, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR By Joseph E. BlonsAy WMPW Z Dec. 17, 1968 J. E. BLONSKY SIDE UNLOADING DEVICE FOR LOGS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 20, 1967 wars/v70)? AGENT United States Patent ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A pivotable device for sidewise unloading of logs being trailed by a vehicle having support means for the device, comprising a diagonally aligned lifting arm that traverses the load area, a vertically aligned retaining arm, the arms being rigidly joined together and pivotably attached to the support means at the juncture, and a means for pivoting the arms that raises the lifting arm to approximately 45 above the pivot axis.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field 0 the inventi0n.This invention relates to elongated objects such as pipe, lumber, poles, logs and freshly cut trees and particularly relates to unloading thereof.

Elongated objects, hereinafter referred to generally as logs, are usually transported, stored, loaded, and unloaded in mutually parallel position. Transfer of logs is generally accomplished by picking up a single log, as with a crane, and swinging the log to a different location or by causing one or more logs to roll off one storage vehicle or storage deck onto another. Devices for simultaneously transferring a plurality of logs from a vehicle to the ground, from storage deck to conveyor, etc., are widely useful.

Description of the prior art.An articulated boom assembly that picks up a single log is shown in U.S. 3,204,795. A grapple attachment for load handling vehicles is described in U.S. 3,275,173. A transfer apparatus that delivers logs individually to a conveyor is described in U.S. 3,184,034. A tree-holding means that rearwardly dumps a load of freshly cut trees being trailed is described in col. 2, lines 34-35 of U.S. 3,074,447 and in U.S. 3,008,731.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of this invention is to provide a device for sidewise dumping of logs that are being trailed.

A further object of this invention is to provide a device that, when a plurality thereof are operated simultaneously and in combination, can uniformly transfer sidewise a plurality of logs that are horizontally supported atop a vehicle roof or on a loading deck.

The device that has been invented to fulfill these objectives comprises a support means, two rigidly joined arms that are pivotably attached to the support means, and a pivoting means. The arms are a diagonally aligned lifting arm that traverses the elongated load area beneath the logs and a vertically aligned retaining arm. These arms are at least 90 apart in side view and in front and rear views. When being pivoted to unload logs, the lifting arm of the instant invention sweeps above the load area to describe a portion of the surface of a cone having an axis that traverses the load area transversely to the logs. The retaining arm describes a portion of a disk whose axis of rotation coincides with this axis.

In the preferred embodiment which is shown in the drawings, the device is operated upon the inclined roof of a tree-harvesting vehicle that accumulates, aligns, and transports a plurality of harvested trees such as the machine described in U.S. 3,074,447 or the machine de- 3,416,673 Patented Dec. 17, 1968 scribed in my co-pending application, Tree Shearing and Assembly Vehicle, that was filed Dec. 30, 1965. The instant device permits a plurality of freshly harvested trees, generally of pulpwood dimensions, to be dumped alongside instead of being dragged off the rear of the machine. Under forest conditions, it is often impossible to advance a tree-harvesting vehicle in order to unload rearwardly a load of previously harvested trees, but sidewise unloading is practical and rapid. Furthermore, dragging rearwardly causes butts to become badly misaligned whereby grappling devices are seriously hampered.

In another embodiment, not shown in the drawings, a plurality of these devices are mounted alongside the roof of a log-transporting vehicle or alongside an elevated loading deck. The lifting arms 18 of each device are in the same horizontal plane beneath the logs. A single pivoting means, such as a winch pulling a steel cable that is attached to the tip of each retaining arm, pivots all devices simultaneously. All parts of the logs are lifted uniformly and moved forwardly in the early stages of lifting. As lifting arms 18 approach 45 above the loading deck, the logs slide uniformly sidewise and downwardly.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention may be more completely understood by referring to the drawings in which the instant sideunloading device is mounted on the left side of the inclined roof of an endless track vehicle resembling the pulpwood-harvesting machine described in U.S. 3,074,447.

FIGURE 1 is a left-side elevation of the vehicle.

FIGURE 2 is a top view of the vehicle shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a rear elevation of the vehicle in which the inclined roof has been partially broken away to show the pivotable mounting for the arms and the pivoting cylinder that raises the lifting arm.

FIGURE 4 is a left-side elevation of the instant invention, taken in the direction of the arrows crossing the line 44 along the left side of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a cross-section of the saddle and logholding means, taken in the direction of the arrows crossing the line 55 in FIGURE 3.

Referring to the drawings, a mobile vehicle that is not a part of the instant invention is indicated generally by the numeral 10. The roof portion of vehicle 10 comprises an inclined, tree-supporting, flat roof 12 that is rigidly attached to and slopes rearwardly from transverse saddle 13 which is rigidly attached to and supported at each end by upright columns 11. Generally vertical retaining arm 14 is rigidly attached to the right-hand column 11. Columns 11, fiat roof 12, saddle 13, and retaining arm 14 form no part of this embodiment except as a pivotpermitting support means for the invention.

Retaining arm 17 and diagonally aligned lifting arm 18 are rigidly joined to collar 16 by gusset 27 and bracket 28. The included angle between lifting arm 18 and saddle 13 cannot be substantially less than 45 even if lifting arm 18 is pivoted directly above saddle 13. The greater this included angle is, the less pivoting is needed to raise lifting arm 18 to an angle of approximately 45 above the horizontal plane passing through the pivot axis. It is desirable that this angle be substantially greater than 45, and an angle of 65 is preferred.

Retaining arm 17 is most satisfactorily inclined about 20 forward of vertical as seen in FIGURE 1. Collar 16 surrounds the left side of saddle 13 and is pivotably attached thereto.

Hydraulic lifting cylinder 21 is pivotably attached to p the top deck of vehicle 10 by brackets 25 and deck pin 24. Lifting piston rod 22 is pivotably attached to lug 26,

on the bottom of lifting arm 18, by lifting arm pin 23. Extension of piston rod 22 sweeps lifting arm 18 through an arc whereby its path outlines a portion of a cone having the axis of saddle 13 as its pivot axis until lifting arm 18 is approximately 45 above the horizontal plane passing through the pivot axis.

DESCRIPTION OF OPERATING TECHNIQUES FOR PREFERRED EMBODIMENT When operating the mobile vehicle shown in the drawings for pulpwood harvesting, a load of freshly cut pulpwood trees is accumulated upon saddle 13 and inclined fiat roof 12, their crowns trailing behind over the ground. The trees are prevented from sliding backwards by holding knife 15 which engages the bark on the boles of the lowermost trees. At a desired dump location, lifting cylinder 21, which receives hydraulic fluid under pressure from a pump that is not shown in the drawings, is activated. Lifting arm 18 is pivotably raised while retaining arm 17 is pivotably lowered.

Initially, lifting arm 18 lifts the boles of the inclined trees fairly evenly off holding knife 15 and then slides forwardly along the bark of the lowermost trees. After traversing the horizontal plane passing through saddle 13, lifting arm 18 markedly imparts greater lift to the boles toward the right side of the machine until the load rapidly slides downwardly to the left, as seen in FIGURE 3, when lifting arm 18 is elevated approximately 45 above saddle 13. Simultaneously, retaining arm 17 is pivoted forwardly and downwardly so as to be completely out of the way when the boles slide over the side of the vehicle.

I claim:

1. A pivotable device for sidewise unloading of logs being trailed by a vehicle having a pivot-permitting support means for said device, the pivot axis being transverse to the logs, comprising a generally vertical retaining arm that is pivotably attached to the support means along one side of the vehicle, a lifting arm that is rigidly attached to the retaining arm and is diagonally aligned to the logs, and a pivoting means that raises said lifting arm to approximately 45 above the horizontal plane passing through said pivot axis while forwardly depressing said retaining arm beneath said horizontal plane.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the retaining arm is approximately 20 forward of vertical.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the angle between the lifting arm and the pivot axis is substantially greater than 4. The device of claim 3 wherein said angle is approximately References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,540,993 2/1951 Rogers. 2,958,434 11/ 1960 Wagner 214-510 ROGERT G. SHERIDAN, Primary Examiner. 

